Yes ! The famous Hakim Ziyech is the star of the new May issue of Vogue Netherlands. This edition of the magazine is an opportunity for fans of the Moroccan international Chelsea to discover a hidden facet of the player’s enigmatic personality.
Hakim Ziyech, star footballer at Chelsea and darling of the Moroccan public, always follows his intuition, says Vogue NL, who spoke to the Atlas Lion for the new issue which will appear on April 20. The magazine therefore broadcast excerpts from this interview to give a taste of the meeting with the very mysterious Hakim and published photos of his photo shoot for the emblematic fashion magazine.
The Moroccan international confirms his discreet and humble personality, and his concern to protect his personal life. ” I don’t really like the spotlight, I prefer to spend my time and energy on something else. I focus now on sports“, he told the magazine.
And to add: I love my privacy, but all of that is gone. Every step I take is monitored. But as soon as I’m out of the spotlight, I just try to live my own life“.
It should have been even harder for Ziyech at a time when all the spotlight was on him, especially after the World Cup in Qatar, putting him and his teammates on the world stage. All eyes were on the players of the Moroccan national team, the Atlas Lions, the very first African and Arab team to have reached the golden square.
” The media spoke of a World Cup fairy tale. With each victory of the Atlas Lions, Moroccan madness increased. And not just in Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora, everyone seemed to be cheering for the cheerful team that surprised the world and beat the favorites round after round. Reaching the semi-finals, a unique event for Morocco“, argues Vogue NL.
According to Ziyech, the feat was a big step, but it was also a disappointment for him who has a winning mentality. ” We were in the last four. We were so close and we just didn’t make it to the final“, he confided.
He pursues: ” I wouldn’t say sadness, but the disappointment was great. For the outside world, it was: we never succeeded and everyone is very happy. But when you’re on the pitch, it’s all about one thing: winning. And we didn’t“.
The player returned to the messages that the national team sent during this competition. Moroccan values, importance of family, solidarity…” We showed how to deal with parents. I think it touched people“, explains the footballer. ” I saw a teammate kiss his mother on the forehead, these are the most beautiful images of the entire World Cup” , he added.
On his mother’s presence in Qatar, the 30-year-old said: ” She is already quite old, a lot of people got sick there. I didn’t want to do this to him. I would like to keep her with me for a little longer”.
His mother is proud of him, although she does not always show it. Also because I don’t see her much anymore. It took some getting used to at first. When I played at Ajax, I went (to see her) two or three times a week“, specifies Ziyech.
As for gifts or surprises, the Moroccan international indicates: ” My mother is very down to earth. She is also just attached to her house, she has lived there for forty years. Her children were born there, her husband died there. She prefers her son to help others“.
Apparently, the right winger does it frequently, it is his teammates and the recipients of donations who regularly reveal it. He himself doesn’t like to talk about it: If I help, I want to do it on the radar. The value of help vanishes for me when it comes out“.